


There's A Man Up In The Mountain

by AbschaumNo1



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: #ZedWinsTheWetTShirtContest, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Pining, i guess, kind of, no editing we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:53:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24187711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbschaumNo1/pseuds/AbschaumNo1
Summary: Neither of them remembered how or when it had started. It felt like one day they had all hung out together, just the three of them, and the next Impulse and Tango had looked at each other and thought, "Oh."
Relationships: Zedaph/impulseSV/Tango Tek, impulseSV/Tango Tek (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 178





	There's A Man Up In The Mountain

**Author's Note:**

> So this is an expansion of my last Team ZIT oneshot, [There's A Boy Out In The Bay](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23949349) but it can be read without reading that (though you should totally read it).  
> Essentially Kolurize first managed to get me to write about the boys kissing and then all of a sudden I was saying I would write this so here we are.   
> I hope you all enjoy <3

Neither of them remembered how or when it had started. It felt like one day they had all hung out together, just the three of them, and the next Impulse and Tango had looked at each other and thought, "Oh."

It hadn't so much complicated things as it had made them fall into place. They had always been happy with each other, but they both had felt that there was something off. It was just that neither of them had realised that there was someone they were missing.

But with the realisation the doubts had come. As sure as they were about each other, Zed was a whole different question. They didn't even know if he would want to be with them; if he returned their feelings. But most importantly Zed was just too good for them.

There was just no way they could ever be worthy of someone as sweet and pure of heart as him.

And so they suffered in silence. They watched and pined and hoped that maybe one day they would be worthy of approaching him and asking him to join them, not as the friend he already was, but as their partner. And in the meantime they found solace in each other.

Then they all moved to season seven.

Impulse and Tango had been surprised when Zed had decided to settle inside the mountain just north of the spaces they had picked out for themselves, but they had not expected things to be any different than before. They would hang out with him, they would get into shenanigans, and at the end of the day they would go back to their home and he to his and everything would be normal, just how it had always been.

Except Zed seemed to have different plans. He kept coming down to hang out or to help them with their builds. He "borrowed" resources from their storages and left small gifts in their stead, and neither of them could bring themselves to be annoyed with him. Not when he never took anything he knew they would need, and definitely not as long as he came to ask all earnestly at least two times out of five, and gave them that happy beaming smile of his when they inevitably said yes.

But the true breaking point were the buoys.

Impulse hadn't even realised that Zed was building something out in the water, right along the flight path from Impulse's base over to Tango's. He only saw it once it was done, and he only found out what it was after Zed had asked Tango to help him with the second buoy, this one out on the other side of Impulse's base.

They returned drenched from the rain that had surprised them while they were out, leaving small puddles of water on the floor of Impulse's base.

He smiled fondly at them as he handed them towels so they could at least get their hair dry, before he pointed them towards the shower.

"Go, warm showers, both of you. You need to get yourselves warmed up," he said.

Tango threw him a salute and immediately started to walk off, but Zed...Zed looked like he wanted to, but then he shook his head.

"I'll just go home through the Nether. I promise I'll take a shower at my base and get all warm and cosy."

"Are you sure?" Impulse asked. "You know you can stay."

But Zed only gave him his usual upbeat grin and said, "I'll be home in no time. And the Nether is warm. I'll see you soon."

Before either of them could say anything he was waving at them and disappearing up the water elevator and to the Nether portal.

Impulse exchanged a look with Tango, who only shrugged in confusion.

"That was...weird," Impulse said.

"Yeah." But then Tango smirked and wiggled his eyebrows at him and added, "So since we're alone, wanna join me in the shower?"

Impulse rolled his eyes at him and chucked the towel Zed had left behind at his chest.

"I'll be out here getting you dry clothes and something warm to eat," he said. "So you better get going now."

Tango pouted but he took hold of the towel and a moment later the bathroom door closed behind him, while Impulse went off towards the nook of his base that he used as a bedroom. Tango usually kept a change of clothes around.

The thing was that however long Impulse waited, the two buoys remained all that was built of Zed's dinghy race. He would see him work on them occasionally, just tinkering around, but there seemed to be no progress. It was almost as if Zed was happy just staying around their little area. But no that couldn't be it. He probably just got distracted as usual, Impulse thought.

And then came the day when he saw Zed fall into the water.

To be fair, it wasn't the first time it happened, and probably wouldn't be the last, but it was the first time it happened close enough to Impulse's base that Zed decided it was closer.

Impulse wasn't sure Zed saw him standing on the upper level of his base entrance, but he was glad about it when he watched the way Zed's muscles strained under his wet shirt and sweater jacket as he hoisted himself up onto the stairs at the edge. It made his mouth go dry, and any thought of going down to help Zed and get him into something dry fled from his mind when he watched Zed take off his sweater jacket and shake the water from his hair.

He wore his usual white t-shirt underneath, but the water had made it almost transparent and plastered it to his torso. It was rare enough to see him without the sweater jacket, and Impulse knew he had never seen him without his t-shirt. He wasn't prepared for the amount of muscle he got to see now. His eyes trailed across strong shoulders and a muscular chest down to perfectly toned abs.

Impulse had to swallow. He bit his lip and released a sigh when Zed disappeared into the base, probably to get a boat from Impulse's storage, and messaged Tango. He had to see this.

The plan had been simple, or so Impulse thought. They'd invite Zed to hang out, make it a romantic picnic, and talk to him. Like they should have done already. Because no matter if either of them felt worthy or not, they had to do something about this. If he let them down they would at least know that it would forever remain a dream.

Impulse really hoped it wouldn't.

But Zed seemed to have other ideas. He made himself a bit more scarce these days, came around less often, or only when neither of them was around. And the few times they did catch him, he always had an excuse for why he didn't have time.

There was always some project that needed his attention, always someone he had made plans with, always something he really had to do all of a sudden, and he never seemed to look like he actually wanted to leave, but he did it anyways.

It made Impulse wonder what was going on and doubt if they should really go through with their plan. It didn't look like Zed wanted to get closer, and they both liked him too much to approach him with something he wasn't comfortable with.

Impulse knew it was to distract them both when Tango took him to catch a couple of ravagers, and he was glad to accept. Zed's avoidance of them had started to weigh heavily on both of their minds, and they could use the distraction.

Neither of them mentioned that the spot they picked was conveniently close to Zed's base. It was where Tango had done this with Cub, everything else was coincidence.

Soon they were both far too occupied with killing the raiders they didn't need to worry about anything concerning Zed, and by the time they were done and all that was left was to clean up they were both exhausted and slightly battered but also grinning, satisfied with their work.

Impulse had just tucked the last of the rails away in his inventory and straightened up when he found himself backed against the dirt hut with the villager inside, Tango smirking at him before he leaned in and kissed him.

He didn't waste time going slow, no, he claimed Impulse's lips, his hands already moving up underneath his shirt, his fingers running along Impulse's sides with a surety that told him that Tango knew exactly what he wanted.

He was pressed against the dirt, Tango's tongue in his mouth, little sounds escaping him against his will.

And then suddenly he was not. Tango moved away even faster than he had moved in when they both heard a cut off sound and someone moving.

It was Zed, already turned away and moving towards his mountain, and Impulse was glad that Tango seemed to still have his wits about him, because Impulse himself had barely managed to work out what was happening when Tango had already pushed away and followed Zed, just about managing to catch his arm.

Zed stopped but didn't turn around until he had taken a deep breath. His smile was just wonky enough at the edges to make it obvious that he didn't quite mean it, and before he could say anything Tango had reached out and gently brushed a thumb over his cheekbone.

The surprise in Zed's eyes was a lot realer than the smile had been, and when Tango leaned in to whisper something into Zed's ear Impulse finally moved to get closer to them, taking a deep breath as he went. The way the two of them looked right now was a lot to process, Tango just shy of curling around Zed's body with how he had bent down to whisper to him, his one hand still holding Zed's elbow, the other cupping his cheek.

And then Zed's eyes widened in surprise, flickering to Impulse, before he looked back at Tango, who gave him a nod.

Zed looked at Impulse again and this time there was something new in his look, something Impulse hadn't seen before. He had to swallow when Zed came towards him, gently but surely pulling Tango along, and Impulse met Tango's eyes, the smirk from earlier back on his face.

And then Zed was standing in front of him, right in his personal space, smiling up at him, and Impulse somehow knew that it was for both of them when Zed said, "But why didn't you say anything?"

But before Impulse could say anything, Zed shook his head with a fond smile and cupped his cheek with his free hand.

Impulse could feel his legs go weak at the gentle touch and when he grasped Zed's arm to steady himself he could feel the muscles move as Zed pulled him closer and kissed him.

His lips were soft but sure against Impulse's, and it took him a moment to process what was happening but then Impulse's eyes fluttered shut and he sighed into the kiss and melted against Zed, who supported him easily. He felt like he could get lost in this; Zed's lips against his, his one hand in his hair, the other moving to rest on his hip.

He didn't even realise that Tango had moved to stand behind him until they had to come up for air, and he felt Tango's body pressed against his back, his arms reaching around Impulse's waist so he could rest his hands on Zed's waist. He could feel Tango smile against his skin where he was nuzzling into his neck, but before he could say anything Tango looked up and he could see Zed looking at him over Impulse's shoulder, a soft smile on his face.

And then Zed's hand slid out of his hair and a moment later Zed was kissing Tango over his shoulder. He could feel the sound that escaped Tango's lips rumble through his chest where it was pressed up against his back. He smiled and leaned a bit more into Tango, pulling Zed with him. His breath hitched a little when Impulse nosed at his jaw and nuzzled into his neck, pressing a kiss against the skin of this throat.

Zed broke the kiss, and once he caught his breath he looked at them with wonder in his eyes and said, “So you two really…?”

“Yes,” Impulse said.

“How long?”

“A while now,” Tango admitted. “We just…we never thought we were good enough.”

Zed made a noise at the back of his throat and the next thing Impulse knew was that Zed let go of him but only to move around until he could hug them both at the same time.

“Oh you silly, silly boys,” Zed said with a sigh. “You were always good enough.”

And when he saw the way Zed looked at them before he gave each of them another short kiss Impulse could actually believe him.


End file.
